Alternative Surface Coatings and Surface Treatments for Hazardous Cadmium Plating of Small Parts

This report provides the results of a program to evaluate environmentally acceptable alternatives to cadmium plating in U.S. Navy applications. Conclusions resulting from mechanical testing and two-month exposure tests are provided. Several alternative coatings appear to provide corrosion resistance comparable to cadmium on non-complex shapes. In areas with a complex shape, none of the alternatives assessed performed as well as cadmium. No single alternative investigated performed as a universal substitute for cadmium plating.